The Blacklist-Revisited
by LsD1251
Summary: Liz is trying to comprehend the truth about her husband, along with dealing with the continuing cases she is forced to work on with Red. Through it all she finds an unlikely friend in Agent Ressler. Disclaimer* This is not my story it is my sisters, I am only posting this for her. All props go to her. And we dont' own any of the characters or story, or yadayadayada...
1. Chapter 1

Liz threw her head back downing the amber liquid in her glass ignoring the burn that ran from the back of her throat down to her stomach. In all honesty she couldn't even feel it, after all she had been through,she was beginning to wonder if she would be capable of feeling anything anymore. She nodded at the bar tender a middle aged man who eyed her wearily. He seemed to regard her suspiciously because she wasn't a regular customer sitting at his bar. The truth was she wondered why she'd never come here before it wasn't far from her home. A small dark hole in the wall bar, she glanced around her and instead of seeing groups of loud rowdy people she saw small tables where only one person sat. it seemed people who came into this place came in alone to drown their sorrows more than likely because of the fact they were alone. The surely faced bartender poured more whiskey into her glass she mumbled thanks and downed her second shot. At this point she'd be lucky if she could get drunk enough to forget at least the day. All she could do was stare blankly at the shelves across from her, try as she might her mind replayed the events of the day starting at the beginning when her husband. _Ex husband, _she told herself taking the wedding band and engagement ring off of her fingers and setting them down on the bar in front of her, when her husband confronted her this morning claiming the box didn't belong to him. Not that she believed him at that point, there was enough evidence to make him guilty of at least one murder and now she was beginning to see the signs she missed all along. Signs that he was lying. He managed to convince her to take him to the station to clear his name which in her mind was an acceptable plan she wanted to turn him in to the police anyway and get him out of her house and out of her life. Her blue eyes scanned the long bar, the bartender was all the way at the other end and in a conversation with a man who looked to be around his age. _Great isn't there another bar tender around. _God knows how long she'd have to wait and waiting wasn't something she wanted to do at that moment.

She heard the door to the bar open behind her letting in a cold breeze across her back. Still staring at the bartender who looked up at the door and smiled for the first time since she arrived "Hey Donnie its been a while take a seat!" he said clearly happy to see him. Curiosity got the better of her and she turned around to see none other but Donald Ressler standing behind her. His light eyes found her immediately and he moved to the open spot on the bar next to her.

He stopped there looking down at her "Keen" he said taking a seat. "Oh shit" she mumbled as the bar tender came by. "what is it now" she asked looking miserable.

"Jesus Keen nothing I didn't follow you here if that's what you mean" he looked up regarding the bartender "Hey Vic nice to see you".

"Nice to see you too budy, I'll get you the usual. Another round?" he asked Liz regarding her in a kinder tone seeing that Ressler was near her. She only nodded.

"So why are you here did Cooper send you or Red what do they want from me now?" she asked blankly picking up her drink and downing it quickly.

"Easy they didn't want anything. After today I needed a drink. By some strange coincidence you are sitting in my usual seat in the bar I frequent" he said with a hint of a smile. She looked at him wondering if she should trust him but just shrugged not in a fighting mood frankly she wanted to be left alone.

"I didn't know you had a life outside of the FBI" she said waving down the bartender.

Ressler shook his head "If you call coming down to a shit hole bar to drink alone after work a life then yes I do" he said. She glanced at him with wondering why he was trying to be nice to her or funny, both traits seemed uncharacteristic of him. Ressler looked down at the bar and saw her wedding rings sitting there in a small puddle of spilled liquor. He swallowed his shot feeling sorry for Keen. He didn't really want to nor did he really get along with her since they had met but he realized it wasn't due to anything she did. He didn't trust her and what relationship she had with Red and why Red wanted to work with her but he was beginning to realize that Keen had no idea what Red wanted with her. "I'm sorry" he blurted out and Keen put her hand down to look at him as though he had two heads. "I mean about what happened today" he finished somewhat awkwardly, he was never good at comforting anyone and he hadn't needed to for a few years now. Keen didn't look impressed in fact she didn't look sad or angry or anything she only had a stony impassive look on her face. Her grey eyes moved away from his to catch the eyes of Vic who headed over quickly pouring them both another drink.

"I'm sorry too" she said finally. "I'm sorry I married that son of a bitch. I'm sorry I ever trusted him. I'm sorry I was too stupid not to read the signs right in front of me. I'm sorry I didn't turn him in sooner. And I'm sorry I didn't shoot him when I had the chance" she finished downing the shot quickly. Ressler looked at her and was surprised. He knew the past few months she was dealing with a lot, her life it seemed was slowly becoming unraveled and instead of making her sad, it made her angry. He always pegged her as a weak agent, another reason he didn't like her but she was dealing with her grief well or at least hiding it well. The woman in questioned seemed to remember he was sitting next to her and suddenly looked guilty "Sorry, I'm sorry. It's fine. I'm fine" she said looking down at her glass.

"Between what's been going on with Red and the blacklist cases, your husband and with the agency and" he paused "How I've been towards you I know the past few months haven't been easy" he said. Liz looked at him surprised he was admitting that he could be an unbelievable jack ass at times.

"Yea I guess you're right. I just want it to be over with all of this. And I want answers. Some kind of answers as to what Red wants with me" she admitted and felt foolish for telling Ressler this. To be honest though it felt good to tell someone something about what she felt and what she thought, the problem was she couldn't trust Ressler and he didn't trust her. She shifted in her seat her leg moving up and down rapidly as she waited for the bar tender to come back.

"Jesus Keen, how much have you had to drink already?" Ressler asked with a slight twinkle in his eye. Liz shook her head moving a stray piece of dark hair away from her face

"Not nearly enough" she admitted. Ressler nodded in understanding.

"Hey Vic" he called. The bartender immediately looked at him "Can I get a whole bottle were going to grab a table" Vic nodded and pulled a full bottle of the whiskey both Keen and Ressler were drinking sitting it down in front of them. "Thanks Vic" Ressler said and he stood up "Come on Keen let's sit down somewhere a little more comfortable were going to be here a while" he said it like it was an order not a request so she stood up to follow him. Forgetting how much she already had to drink she began to sway her vision became blurry as she reached out for the bar stool. "Easy Keen" Ressler said from behind her his arm grabbed her waist to steady her.

"I'm fine" she said grabbing her glass and moving out of his reach quickly. The last thing she wanted was Ressler to think she was a drunk idiot. he already thought she was an idiot and not up to be a federal agent this would just give him more ammunition. She walked to a corner of the small bar that was dark and where no one else was really sitting. There was small booth sitting under a dim light and she plopped down on the dark green seat. The alcohol was making her warm so she put her dark hair up behind her and took off her jacket putting her elbows on the table she watched as Ressler sat the bottle down as well as his glass and took off his dark blue blazer hanging it up on the hook. "You want me to hang up your jacket?" he asked her she nodded handing it to him.

"Thanks" she muttered. She watched as he sat down across from her and opened the bottle pouring them both a tall glass. "And by some strange coincidence we both drink the same booze" she noted echoing his own words. He smiled a little moving a glass towards her

"I guess we have more in common than I thought, cheers" he said raising his glass she raised her own then downed its contents setting the glass down and leaning back.

"Why are you here, why are you being nice to me Ressler. You hate me" she said bluntly her eyes demanding an answer even if they looked tired and worn. The blond haired man shook his head "I don't hate you Keen" he began.

She laughed the effects of the whiskey making her braver then she felt "Come on, you never liked me and you certainly never trusted me. So why are you here sitting with me now?" she asked again.

He looked at her and she could see he was debating about how to answer her, tell the truth or tell a lie after she had heard so many in the past few months. "I like you Keen, did I trust you before, no. Did I think you were up for this job, no" he admitted honestly. "But I was wrong about you. You can do this job in fact you've proved me wrong on every case so far. Not only are you smart enough to figure out our targets move before myself or anyone else but your stronger than I thought".

She cut him off "Strong not strong enough to stop getting myself kidnapped or stop the stewmaker from throwing me into a tub of chemicals" she said reaching out to the bottle.

"That wasn't your fault Keen it could have been any one of us and even after he drugged you, you still were able to escape from him buying yourself time until me and Red got there" he pointed out.

"Well thanks but you still don't trust me" she said pouring the brown liquid into his glass spilling some over the side. She grabbed a napkin and wiped it up.

"I didn't trust you, I figured that you were working with Red or why else would he want to work with you so bad? But now I don't know, I think he does want to work with you but I don't think you or any one of us know why" he said finally. She looked at him in shock. But should she believe anything he said? How could she really trust anything anyone said to her anymore? If that was one thing Red taught her and one thing her soon to be ex-husband taught her was in the world there were few people you could trust.

"Thanks I think, but I'm sorry how do I know you're not telling me this so that I trust you? Are you saying this and waiting until I drink enough so that I tell you something about Red you don't know? Because everyone assumes Red tells me everything, I wish he did but he doesn't" she told him. Suddenly she felt light headed as if all of the glasses of whiskey refused to take ahold of her until that very moment. Sitting back she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths trying to steady her focus. Ressler was watching her closely, as if studying her as though she was some kind of foreign object he didn't understand. "I'm sorry you're being nice to me and this is how I treat you?" she said shaking her head. "You know I wanted to say thank you" she blurted out and he looked taken aback as he too finally sat back in his seat looking more relaxed.

"For what?" he asked. She looked down unsure if she should continue and felt embarrassed for what she was about to say.

"A few weeks ago after you guys rescued me from the stewmaker. I kind of fell apart and I'm sorry for that. I should have been stronger, I don't know why I broke down like that but thanks for uh well being there and not laughing at me" she said sheepishly. Ressler nodded and smiled a little

"Your welcome, I would never have laughed at you after what you went through. Come on Keen I'm not that bad of a guy am I?" he asked pouring himself another glass he raised a brow at her as if to ask if she wanted more and she nodded. They both drank from their glasses this time she only sipped the whiskey still smart enough to know that too much more she'd be falling over the table.

"No you're not. Ressler" she said hesitantly. He watched her carefully setting his glass down on the table. "yea Keen" he answered waiting for whatever was going to follow. "That story you told a few weeks ago. I know there was some truth to that. How did you lose your family? Please tell me, I feel like for the past few months I keep asking for answers but no one will give me anything except for vague clues or encrypted messages. I just want the truth for once, please" she said her eyes falling. Out of all the possible questions to ask him she asked him a personal question? She could have asked more about Red, about confidential files regarding her husband's doings but no she had to ask about my family, he wondered.

"I guess I'm surprised you want to know so badly but sure I'll tell you" he said. She nodded at him to continue. "Four years ago my wife was pregnant. We were going to be parents after trying for over a year but she had health problems that made it difficult. Both she and the baby died in child birth" he finished bluntly. Keen looked horrified which was part of the reason he didn't like telling people because they immediately pitied him and he didn't want that.

"I'm sorry I had no idea" was all she could say at first and they were both silent until one of them felt that they needed to say something. "How did you get through that?" she asked. He shrugged there was no pain on his face now she could see while he remembered it was a distant memory now. "I got pretty low for a while. I came here a lot and drank that helped me to forget what happened" he admitted honestly. "And then I went back to work at the bureau and that became my life, it became the most important thing to me. I want to do my job and do it well. I want things to be done the right way I want the facts. It's why I can't stand Reddington so much" he admitted his fingers touched the rim of his glass.

"Why do you hate him so much? Believe me he's not a good guy but he has helped us hasn't he?" Liz asked him.

Ressler nodded "Sure he has but he's not doing this out of the kindness of his heart. Men like him have no heart".

She looked down knowing that he was right "I don't know what he wants with me or all of us but I do appreciate him telling me about" she stopped a sick feeling in her stomach. "Tom" she continued.

"You didn't deserve that, what he did to you it's horrible and he's stupid" Ressler said not keeping the anger from his voice.

"He had a different life a better life and he was selfish and wanted both. He nearly got away with it I wouldn't call him stupid" she explained smartly.

Ressler shook his head "I didn't mean it like that. He was stupid for wanting to have a different life then the one he had with you" he said but looked away quickly and fumbling with the bottle quickly poured himself another drink downing it quickly without asking if she wanted one. Again silence filled the space between them and without warning Liz's stomach contracted loudly in hunger pains. It was so loud that even Ressler heard it and finally looked at her. They both said nothing before bursting out in laughter. "You wouldn't happen to be hungry at all would you?" he asked smiling.

She nodded "I haven't eaten since yesterday morning and honestly it was the furthest thing from my mind but yea I could eat" she admitted.

He nodded "Vic!" he called and only minutes later the bartender appeared before them. Ressler smiled at the man "Vic I want you to meet one of my partners at the bureau Liz Keen".

Liz watched Ressler clearly surprised at his behavior. "It is a pleasure to meet you ms Keen" Vic said holding out a hand to her.

She shook it gently "Nice to meet you too Vic" she noted with a smile.

"Vic were starving can you have Lenny make us something?" he asked. Liz looked at the table but there were no menus in fact she didn't think this place even served food at all.

"Of course what would you like?" he asked looking at Liz.

She looked across the table but Ressler said nothing waiting for her "Uh, well, what do you have?" she asked him.

"Typically we do not serve food here ms Keen only drinks". She felt bad and shook her head "You don't need to make us anything" but Ressler cut her off rolling his eyes "What do you want Keen?" she said nothing for a while before looking at Ressler sheepishly "Pizza?" He nodded and looked at Vic "You heard the lady she wants pizza" he said with a grin and Vic nodded "Of course it should be ready in a half hour or so" he said. "Thanks so much" Liz said smiling at Vic who nodded and walked away. She moved her eyes to look at Ressler who shrugged sheepishly "what?" he asked. Shaking her head she had to laugh "Thanks, he's a nice guy. He seems to like you a lot too".

Ressler waved off the comment "He better after how much money I've given him over the years. It's sad to say but this place serves me most of my dinners. I'm not much for cooking" he admitted. Liz laughed "Ah so there is one thing the great agent Ressler can't do". He nodded laughing too "there's plenty of things I can't do but that's definitely one of them. But one thing I can do is play darts, how bout you Keen?" he asked nodding at the electronic dart board hanging on the wall a few feet away from her.

"Never been very good and I doubt after drinking half a bottle of whiskey I'll be better now but let's see what happens". The two played two games before their pizza came and Liz lost both of them but by the time the sausage pizza was finished she was not only full, and drunk but she realized she hadn't thought about what had happened that day for the past few hours and she was grateful.

"You look about ready for bed" Ressler joked sipping on a whiskey and coke. Liz nodded leaning back in the seat laying her hands over her stomach "I'm full and drunk and tired. Thanks Ressler for hanging out with me it helped me forget about today" she admitted. "It's no problem Keen I don't know about you but I'm about ready to go I think we both need a good night's sleep" he said seriously and she nodded standing up for the first time in about an hour. Again the blood rushed to her head but she managed to stay standing. Until she took a few steps to where her jacket was hanging and almost fell on the seat or on top of the agent who was still sitting in it. Putting her arms out she went to grab something to steady her, that something was Resslers shoulder.

"God I'm sorry, yep that just about does it for me" she said with a laugh that she couldn't suppress. Ressler laughed too and held her steady as he stood and put his jacket on.

He looked at Liz "How were you planning on getting home tonight?" he asked. Keen looked thoughtful and he saw her eyes drift to the door "I uh walked here from my house its about 30 min from here on foot. I hadn't really thought about how I was going to get home" she admitted. "Well you certainly can't drive and you probably shouldn't walk either right now and I doubt you could even walk anyway" he said with a small smile as they made their way to the door. Ressler stayed close behind her in case she took a tumble and Liz was grateful as it took all of her concentration not to fall down. When they got to the door Ressler stopped her, grabbing her arm to slow her down for a moment. "Hey Vic" he called and the older man with dark hair back at his place behind the bar turned to him "Yea Donny" he called. "Just put it on my tab" he advised and Vic nodded "Goodnight Donny, goodnight kiddo it was a pleasure" he said with a wink at Liz who only smiled and nodded at him feeling Resslers hand on her back urging her out of the bar.

"How are you going to get home I doubt you should be driving either" she said suddenly turning towards him. A strong gust of wind blew cold air around her shocking her for a moment as she put wrapped her arms around herself to keep warm.

"Your right I wasn't planning on it. I'm going to hail a cab want to share it at least that way you won't have to walk in the cold". She nodded at him shivering as he walked out to the street waiting for a cab to drive by. It didn't take long and they piled into the back seat. Liz gave her address and the driver only nodded and began to drive. While drunk Liz thought of her empty home, well her dog was their of course but now that Tom was gone she'd have the house to herself. Suddenly she didn't really want to go into her house not after all the bad memories. There was nothing she could do about it now but she had the sudden idea to put it up for sale so she could move far away from that place to somewhere new. Liz was silent as they drove and so was Ressler. She was so lost in thought that she jumped when she felt a hand on her arm and turned to Ressler who nodded out the window "Were here" he said. She nodded and handed the driver money. She opened the door to leave but turned to him first. "Thanks again for tonight. I'll give you money for the food and the drinks on Monday" she promised. But he only shook his head "Don't worry about it Keen. Get some sleep if something happens or you need anything you can give me a call" he told her. She smiled at him before shutting the door. She watched the cab back up out of her driveway before turning to head up the steps and quickly into the house.

Ressler watched her carefully as Keen opened the door to her house and disappeared inside. He hoped she would be ok, she needed time right now to deal with all that had happened to her. He looked out the window as the driver slowly made his way down her street and saw a large white van parked a few houses down. He didn't think anything of it until he saw a grey haired man walking down the sidewalk, eating something and stop in front of the van. Ressler looked out the window and the man saw him as well and hurried into the van. As the cab pulled further away he turned quickly in his seat and saw the lights on the van turn on as it was started and it slowly began to pull away. A strange feeling began to creep up in his stomach. Something wasn't right. What was that van doing there just parked out on the street at this hour? He sat up quickly, and what was it doing so close to Keen's house? "Stop!" he demanded loudly causing the driver to slam on the breaks.

"what, what is it did I almost hit something?" he asked turning around to face Ressler.

"I need you to turn around and go back to her house" he said motioning to the other end of the street.

"come on buddy you missed your chance you should have made a move when you had the chance" the driver said with a chuckle.

"Now!" Ressler demanded taking out his badge and showing it to the driver. Without another word he pulled into a driveway, backed up and sped down the block. The cab pulled into her driveway and Ressler opened the door "Stay here" he ordered and he shut the door racing up the steps. As soon as he got to the door he wasted no time in knocking and tried the knob but it was locked. He pounded on the door but there was no answer. "Keen" he called loudly but nothing. Unable to wait any longer he threw his weight into the door and it flew open. He ran through to the back of the house calling for her. goddamnit where was she? Running through the living room and then the kitchen but both were empty he ran to the stairs taking them two at a time. The first door on the left was closed and he opened it shouting "Keen!" There was a dog in the room who started to bark at him and a door opened near the back of the room and she stepped out looking frazzled "Ressler Jesus what are you doing here?" she asked looking startled. She noticed he had a frantic look in his light eyes that worried her. Usually Ressler didn't get shaken up easily so she wondered why he looked so worried now and why he was in her house.

"I well needed to talk to you. I wanted to see if you wanted to get out of this house for a little bit" he added looking at her sternly. He didn't want to tell her what he thought out loud because more than likely someone was watching the house and taking surveillance. Keen looked at him confused and he sighed how was he going to do this. He noticed she had her phone on the nightstand by the bed and he took his out. "Hold on I'm getting a message from Cooper" he lied and she nodded watching him closely. Typing as fast as he could he sent a message and hoped Keen would pick up her phone. A moment later a loud vibration was heard on the nightstand and she walked over picking it up. Ressler watched her closely and was amazed that the tired and drunk look that was on her face disappeared in an instant and she looked at him alert and clearly worried. "where did you want to go?" she asked trying to sound as casual as she could.

"We can get a hotel somewhere, pack a bag and bring the dog. The cab is waiting" he advised walking to the window and looked out seeing the driver still in the driveway. He looked down the block but there were no other cars there and no sign of the white van that had been parked outside minutes earlier. Someone was clearly casing the house but he wanted to know why. He also had to assume that there were cameras all over the house, they would have to come in later and try to find them but it was too late now. "

Ok I'm ready" he turned to see Keen lift a large duffel bag putting it on her shoulder she called to her dog and put a leash on him. Ressler nodded and followed her out of the door down the stairs and out of the house. He opened the door to the back seat and she piled in her dog followed her. He closed the door and got into the front. "Where are we going to go, most hotels won't allow dogs" Liz pointed out. Ressler seemed to have already thought of this as he rattled off an address to the driver. "where are we going?" she repeated.

"We'll just go to my place for now" he said quickly. The cab driver who was waiting to pull out of the driveway shook his head muttering "unbelievable" but both Keen and Ressler ignored him.

"Ressler I don't want to impose on you like that I can find a hotel" she pulled out her phone to begin looking.

"It's fine besides as of right now it might be the safest place. You can't get into my complex without going through security first" he explained. Liz only sat back in the seat and tried to calm her dog. What the hell was going on, she wanted to talk to Ressler more about his text but it was clear he didn't want to have the conversation now. All it said was "someone is casing your house and watching you". She wanted to know who and why. Suddenly the buzzed somewhat happy drunk feeling left her and now she felt worried yet again. Why was all of this happening to her now? Why her, she was no one, unless whoever was watching her house was really watching Tom not her but now he was gone so why continue? Did Red have anything to do with this? Her mind swarmed with questions that she had no hope of answering tonight. 


	2. Chapter 2-The House's Eyes-5309

Chapter 2-the houses' eyes #5309

Liz was hardly aware as they drove through the guard shack into Resslers condominium compex. Nor did she notice the strange smile the bellhop who opened the door for them gave both her and Ressler as they entered the building. She finally seemed to snap out of it when Ressler stopped them at the door and turned to her "You know I just thought of something, your dog is ok with other dogs right?" he asked.

Liz didn't say anything and only looked at him dumbfounded. "what?" he asked and she finally had to smile

"You have a dog?" she asked.

"Yea so what?" Ressler asked looking a little annoyed.

Finally she shook her head "Oh nothing I'm just compiling a top ten list of the most fascinating things I never knew about agent Donald Ressler. So far you owning a dog is number 1. You know there's a lot I don't know about you" she admitted.

He nodded "Usually I like to keep my work and private life separate. But then again I don't have much of a private life to share" he said with a wry smile. He opened the door and she wasn't surprised to see a very simple, very clean condo. In fact it hardly looked like anyone lived in it until a large multi colored German Shepherd came bounding down the hallway towards them. "Hey Romel" Ressler said and Liz noticed that his stern demeanor seemed to change considerably around his dog. "Be nice" he advised and the dog stopped next to Liz's dog who was much smaller. They both smelled one another, her dog Louie barked once and then they both took off down the hall Louie chasing Romel. "Well that worked out ok" Ressler noted shutting and locking the door behind him. Liz followed him into a spacious living room that was connected to a dining room and a wide door leading into a large kitchen. "You can sleep out here if that's ok. In the morning if you're up to it we can see about finding what's hidden in your apartment. I imagine there's plenty of cameras that are hidden" Ressler said seriously.

She nodded and looked at him feeling awkward for some reason "Thanks for letting me stay here. I promise I won't trouble you longer then one night" she said looking grateful.

He seemed unfazed as he began to undo his tie and unbutton the top of his shirt. "I said don't worry about it Keen get some rest I'll see you in the morning" he turned walking towards the closed door off of the living room but stopped "Oh and if I were you I'd drink a tall glass of water before bed. Unless you want a bad hangover in the morning" he said with a hint of a smile then disappeared behind the door. Liz looked around her at her strange surroundings. Never in a million years did she foresee herself here inside of Resslers apartment; never would she have thought that he would become an ally to her. Her head began to throb and she went to the kitchen fumbling around looking for a glass. This felt strange yet even more strange was that in some small way it almost felt normal and even a bit familiar to her. Both Louie and Ramel were laying near one another on an area rug between the couch and the open dining room, the pair took to one another quickly it seemed. _I feel lost. _She admitted to herself as she lay down on the couch, who could she trust? Not her husband, maybe Red, but not the other agents in the F.B.I and Ressler? How could she be sure he wasn't answering to those above him, perhaps it was a plan to gain her trust so that she would share some kind of big secret about her life that connected her to Red. But she hoped that wasn't the case because more than anything right now, she just wanted to be able to trust someone.

Bright light filtered through the living room and fell across Liz's face causing her to moan and throw an arm over her face. She heard a chuckle and a male voice "Rise and shine Keen" and her eyes snapped open as she looked around confused. Her head was pounding but the events of the night before came flooding back to her and she remembered she was in Resslers condo, not her own house.

"Is that really necessary?" she groaned putting a pillow over her face, the sun not only burned her eyes but made her headache even worse.

"I think so usually I don't sleep in this late but considering we had a late night even I slept in but its about time to get up. Were not in college anymore" he joked and Liz was surprised to hear traces of a sense of humor come from the usually strict man.

"What time is it anyway?" she asked it felt as though it was still quite early.

"Almost 11 in the morning and besides I think the dogs need to be let out" he said and that was enough to get Liz to sit up finally.

She looked over to him, squinting her eyes, he was dressed comfortably in a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt and she must have been staring because he looked a little uncomfortable "what?" he asked leaning against one of the dining room chairs.

"Number 3 on my list Ressler knows how to relax and doesn't sleep in a suit" she joked.

He surprised her and laughed "well I'm compiling my own top 10 list of you too you know" he said. Liz yawned and grabbed her gym shoes "Oh boy I can't wait to hear this" she said slipping them on.

"I bet you would well I'll tell you that number one has to be your wicked sense of humor. You're always so quiet I guess I never noticed it before" he admitted looking at her for a long moment until he seemed to grow uncomfortable and he moved into the kitchen. "I think I could use a cup of coffee what about you?" he called.

Liz stood up just a little too quickly and almost collapsed back down on the couch "Yep I think that's just what this hangover calls for". Louie trotted over to her whining and Romel followed behind him. She bent down to put the German Shepherd, she was too tired and too drunk last night to greet him. "You're a handsome boy aren't you Romel, what a good boy" she said gently petting his head and the fur near his ears. Romel wagged his tail happily and licked her face eagerly causing Louie to bark jealously. "Sorry Louie I love you too you know" and she hugged him quickly before standing up. "So how are we looking on that coffee?" she asked as she went to the kitchen to find three very empty looking cabinets opened wide and a dismayed Ressler.

"It turns out I don't have coffee" he admitted and she had to laugh at his disappointed face. Liz went to stand by him and look into the cabinets "why am I not surprised, tell me do you have any food in this kitchen?" she asked putting a hand on her hip expectantly. Ressler quickly closed the cabinets "I told you I'm not much of a cook" he admitted.

Liz nodded "Ok how bout we take these guys for a walk and go grab some coffee then?"

He nodded "Great idea". It surprised Liz the rhythm that both she and Ressler seemed to fall into as they silently got their coats on and put leashes on their dogs. It was surprisingly comfortable to her and she wondered if he felt the same way.

The sharp fall air stung her cheeks once they made it outside but it also felt refreshing and helped her to fully wake up as it was a rare perfect autumn day. "I was thinking after we get the dogs back we should go to your house and try to see what we can dig up" Ressler said seriously and Liz suddenly remembered what brought her to his house in the first place.

She nodded "Tell me what did you see last night, I never really got the whole story".

"When I was leaving your house I noticed a white van parked outside across the street. A gray haired man stopped in front of it looked at me then got into the van and sped away. Something didn't sit right about him and why he was there and why he left once he saw me. Usually vans like that are used for surveillance and I had a hunch he was watching you and your house. It didn't seem like a smart idea for you to be in there alone" he explained smartly.

Liz had to agree "Thank you for noticing that even if it turns out to be nothing it's better to be safe than sorry especially in my uh, buzzed state of last night I doubt I would have been able to fend off an attack". A tiny laugh escaped Resslers lips and she looked at him "What is so funny?" she demanded.

"Buzzed state? Is that what were calling it now? I'm pretty sure the word for that state is drunk". Ressler commented.

Liz shook her head and countered "I wasn't drunk, you've never seen me drunk".

"That was pretty far from buzzed last night. What would you call it then super tipsy leading to drunk?" he asked raising a brow as he looked at her.

"I don't know what you were talking about, you act like I was falling all over the place" she couldn't remember stumbling or acting like she was drunk. The pair entered the park and stopped briefly as Romel paused to smell a tree.

"If I remember correctly you fell into me twice" he pointed out the smirk still on his face, he seemed to be getting some kind of pleasure at making fun of her.

Liz looked shocked at his accusations "Fall into you? Come on Ressler I may have slightly leaned into you a few times. Don't be so dramatic" she said urging Louie forward and Ressler couldn't help but laugh as he followed her down the path. He led her to a small stand where a dark skinned man was standing behind.

Liz figured this must be the place Ressler frequented especially when the man's face broke into a smile as he called out "If it isn't Donny boy, now I know I must be dreaming man because unless my eyes are deceiving me you are in the presence of a very pretty lady" he said with a wink at Liz. She smiled at him and looked at Ressler who seemed to be a little nervous "Can it Remmy it isn't like that. This is my partner at the F.B.I, Liz Keen. Liz this is Remmy" he said but wouldn't look at her. Remmy seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the whole situation as he put his hand out "It's a pleasure Ms. Keen. Your 'partner' over there is my most regular customer and I tell you in all the years I've seen him, I've never seen him meander by my cart with a lady before. It's about time if you ask me" he muttered and looked down right away making himself look busy. Liz noticed Ressler give his friend a very stern look which she had herself seen many times before. It was a no nonsense, let's get down to business look that Ressler was famous for. "Since I know what that sorry excuse for a partner of yours wants already what will you have Ms. Keen" he asked sweetly.

"Please Liz is fine, I'll have large with extra cream and extra sugar" she said.

Remmy smiled "there you go now that's how I drink my Joe too, that's the only way to drink it" he said shooting a look at Ressler who looked annoyed.

"Let me guess he takes his coffee black am I right?" she asked Remmy who laughed "Damn right, plain coffee for the world's plainest guy" Remmy noted handing Ressler his drink.

"Jesus I can't take her anywhere without her turning everyone against me" Ressler noted and before Liz could make a comment Remmy broke in "Now don't you go putting this on Ms. Liz, you know I love giving you a hard time brother" he said kindly.

Ressler nodded then suddenly his eyes went wide as though remembering something "Hey Remmy you still working your side business?" His friend nodded as he handed Liz her coffee "Sure am, not paying as well as it used to though with those big named companies out now".

Liz listened closely wondering what Ressler was getting at. "If I brought you a camera or recorder would you be able to tell me the make and model of it, and where one would purchase it at?" Ressler asked glancing at Liz before looking back at his friend. "Sure I could I could probably even take it to the dealers I know and find out what company installed it". Ressler nodded "What if it wasn't a company but a single person would you be able to find out a name?" he asked.

Remmy seemed to contemplate this for a while before nodding "I might be able to but I can't say for sure until you show me" he pointed out.

"Excuse me what am I missing here, what are you guys talking about?" Liz finally broke in, a look of anger was beginning to form in her eyes.

"Remmy works in home security systems, cameras even the hidden kind he does this professionally and has contacts in the business. Once we tear apart your house and find what's there we can bring them to him and maybe get some more information on them and who put them there" Ressler explained and Liz understood and was all the more eager to return to her home and find any hidden objects that someone may have left there.

"Someone cased your house?" Remmy asked looking at Liz surprised.

"Were not 100 percent sure yet but Ressler has reason to believe that yes someone is watching me and my house?" she explained. While she was beginning to trust Ressler she didn't want to jump to any conclusions involving hidden cameras in her house without proof first.

Remmy shook his head "If that's the case that means your very important to someone" he explained.

"That's what I'm afraid of" Liz admitted. Ressler nudged her arm looking over to her "come on we better do this before they've found a way in and took everything out before we had the chance to look ourselves. Meet us here later tonight that way if we found anything I can give it to you" Ressler said and it was more of an order than a request as he just had that way about him but Remmy nodded. The pair said goodbye and hurried back to Resslers to drop off the dogs and hop in his car.

As they turned down the block to her house Liz put a hand on her gun. Both agents made sure they were armed not knowing who might be waiting for them inside. The place she had called home for a few years now seemed foreign and even frightening to her. She hoped that it wouldn't take them long to find anything that might be hidden there because she didn't want to stay long. Ressler pulled into the driveway and looked at her "Ready?" She nodded and the pair made their way up the front steps. Liz tried the handle wondering if it would be already open meaning someone was inside but the door was locked and she took her keys out of her pocket. After turning the lock she glanced at Ressler who nodded and with guns drawn she pushed the front door open. They fanned out in separate directions but keeping one another in their line of sight. When the first floor was clear they moved their way upstairs but after a few more minutes of searching it was clear there was no one inside the house other than themselves. "Ok so if someone put cameras in here chances are they're hidden, the question is where did they hide them?" Liz asked looking at Ressler. They were back in the living room and his eyes scanned the walls carefully. They stopped at an air vent high up on the wall to his left and he walked towards it with Liz following. "A lot of times they put them in the vents so to keep them from sight". He grabbed a chair from the dining room table and stood on it trying to look inside. "You got a screwdriver?" he asked looking down at her. she disappeared for a minute then returned holding a tool bag. After digging around inside she held up a Philips head to him. He examined it "perfect" and began to unscrew the first tail. Liz watched and her heart beat faster, part of her hoped that he had been wrong all along and that there would be nothing but a layer of thick dust inside the air duct. Ressler pulled the last screw out and pulled the cover off handing it down to Liz as he peered inside. "what do you see?" she asked but he said nothing only now he reached his hand inside. "Ressler is there anything inside?" Liz demanded. And without further adu he took his hand out of the duct dust falling down around her and held his hand out to her. His fingers were holding a small device and she knew immediately what it was. "Oh god" she muttered. He stepped down from the chair and set it on the table. "You were right" she noted looking at him and he nodded.

"I'm sure there's more where that came from too come on I'll take this room you take upstairs. Look behind vents like these hidden behind items on shelves, in vases or anything we need to try and find them all". Two hours later and Liz finally came downstairs to see Ressler leaning over a large plant she had in her living room. "How many more did you find?" she asked.

He yanked hard on a long leaf pulling it out from the base of the plant attached was a tiny camera "Three more so far including this one how bout you?" he asked turning to her.

Both her hands were full and she set down 4 more tiny cameras on the table. "And who knows there could be more it would take us days to go through all of my things to see if there are more of these tiny cameras" she pointed out. Both she and Ressler took care to dismantle all of them making sure they were turned off but still neither of them wanted to discuss possible theories as to who was behind putting them there for fear of them still being able to hear them. "We'll take these for now and see what we can find. I still don't think its safe for you to stay here" he noted seriously and she nodded. She looked at the clock on the living room wall and it was getting late, almost 5pm, they still had to meet with Remmy and she wanted to find a hotel for the night so she wouldn't have to trouble Ressler any longer.

"I'm going to grab a few more things that I need before we leave" she told him and disappeared upstairs. Ressler didn't know a whole lot about hidden cameras he looked at the few he had just found on the ground floor but there were only tiny markings and what looked to be serial numbers on them which didn't give him much information. Who would have put these into her house? Was it her husband perhaps to keep an eye out for her? Or could it be someone who wants to watch her husband? He suspected though that it was Red who hired someone to plant the cameras as the man seemed obsessed with Keen to the point that it wasn't beyond the realm of possibilities he'd want to watch her at all times. The thought disgusted him and made him angry. What right did Red have to infringe on Keen's privacy? More importantly why did he want to work with her so badly? Shaking his head as he looked down at the table full of cameras if it was Red and he wanted to hurt Keen or watch her for any sick or perverted reason he'd kill him. A hand on his arm made him jump and he saw Keen standing next to him with a suitcase and a backpack on her back she looked at him and there was concern in her blue eyes. "You ok?" she asked letting go of his arm.

His light eyes narrowed "Yea are you ready to go?" he asked seriously. Nodding she grabbed a plastic bag that was on a dining room chair and opened it so he could put the cameras inside. As the sun began to fall in the sky the temperature was beginning to drop and Ressler increased his speed to make it to the park as it was already past the time when they asked Remmy to meet them. Liz shivered as they hurried down the now lit path that led to where Remmy was waiting and he shook his head when he saw them draw near. "It's about time man it's starting to get cold out here" he complained.

"I'm so sorry Remmy" Liz said guiltily and Remmy smiled at her "It's ok I'll just blame him" he said with a wink then looked at the bag Ressler was carrying. "Is that it?"

Ressler nodded "We hope its all of them but who knows. When do you think you'll have the information?"

Remmy looked thoughtful "It depends it's the weekend so my guys aren't working it will probably be by mid next week" he said truthfully. Liz nodded but noticed that Ressler looked unhappy with his answer "That will have to work but get it as soon as you can" he ordered.

Remmy huffed at his comment "Uh huh how bout a thank you, you know I'm not getting anything out of this I'm just doing it out of the kindness of my heart" he said looking innocent.

Before Ressler could answer Liz stepped forward "We know and I can't tell you how grateful WE both are for your help. We owe you a huge favor so just let us know if something comes up" she said with a smile. Remmy seemed satisfied with her answer and smiled "Thank you Liz I'll call you when I have the information. Now you two enjoy the rest of this lovely night" he tipped his hat and with a smirk turned to walk the opposite direction. As Liz and Ressler walked back to the car Ressler looked at her in a disapproving way "your too nice to people you know. If you're not careful you'll be taken advantage of" he noted.

"And your too cold to people. If you want people to do you favors, you have to be willing to give a little back. You can't just go walking around to everyone demanding they do things just because you're in the F.B.I." she pointed out wisely.

She watched his face to gage his reaction half expecting him to get angry at her comment but she was surprised when his features seemed to soften and he nodded "point taken" he replied and they said nothing more until they got back to the car. The warm air from the vents on the dashboard felt good on her cold hands as she held them closer.

"When we get back I can get my things together and find a hotel to stay at. I don't want to keep troubling you any longer, but I really appreciate you taking me in and helping me. I owe you big time" she admitted and felt a little nervous all of a sudden.

"It's ok Keen I really don't mind helping you out. I mean we work together it's kind of my responsibility isn't it?" he pointed out.

She looked at him surprised at his answer "It shouldn't be, I mean I should be able to take care of myself. I feel like a burden" she admitted looking away.

"Keen" he paused as if trying to find the right words to say "You can take care of yourself but this is a delicate situation. If you really want to get a hotel I won't stop you but more than likely whoever has been watching you hasn't stopped just because we took out the cameras. More than likely they know you're with me, they know where I live and if you leave to go to a hotel they'll know that too" Ressler pointed out.

"You're probably right but we don't know how long those cameras have even been in my house, they could have been watching me for months now and yet they haven't done anything yet. Whose to say they even want me let alone hurt me" she pointed out shaking her head. It was clear she didn't really buy into what Ressler was saying.

"You might be right all I'm saying is that I think it's best to air on the side of caution at least until we find out who is responsible" he added.

Liz looked out the windshield clearly dismayed "So what then I mean I can't do that to you and expect you to let me stay with you for days or even weeks until this gets sorted out". "I don't expect you too" Ressler said and then paused for a long moment forcing Liz to look at him. "We could tell Cooper about what's going on and get them involved we may get answers faster that way".

She thought about that but quickly took her head she didn't want everyone knowing that someone was watching her not yet and not without her having the chance to talk to Red about it first. "No I don't think that's a good idea I want to try and figure this out on my own. Are you ok with that?" she asked knowing how Ressler liked to play by the rules she wondered what his answer would be.

"Fine we'll do it your way then for now but then I think you should stay with me until we at least know that no one is going to try and make a move for you" he countered and she knew she had to agree and besides he was doing her a favor.

"Fine but I do owe you for this" Liz reminded him and now he seemed to consider this.

"Ok well how about dinner"? he asked. Liz's brows rose in surprise "You want me to buy you dinner, that's it?" she asked staring at him.

He shifted in his seat looking uncomfortable "Well not exactly. I was actually hoping you'd be willing to make me dinner. It has been a while since I've had a home cooked meal and I'm assuming you can cook" he added with a wry smile. Liz burst out laughing, she couldn't help it. Of all the things he could ask of her he wanted her to make him dinner? Maybe he was just a normal simple guy. "What?" he asked smiling "I'm serious".

She sobered up and looked at him kindly "Yes I can cook and if that's what you want I'd be happy to cook you dinner for all that you've done for me". Ressler put the car in reverse and backed out of their parking spot "Great" he said enthusiastically. "Drive to the grocery store we need to go shopping" Liz ordered and Ressler nodded.

An hour later they were back in his condo Liz was cooking dinner and he was currently outside with the dogs. As she stirred a pan of fresh vegetables she stopped and felt strange for the first time. "This is weird" she said aloud glad Ressler wasn't there. She wasn't supposed to be spending a whole weekend alone with Ressler especially in his home. She also wasn't supposed to be cooking him dinner and trusting him to help her. But more importantly she wasn't supposed to like the way that the whole situation felt to her because it felt normal in some ways. _This isn't good. _Trusting anyone completely was out of the question for her right now especially agent Ressler. There was also the fact that he sure as hell didn't trust her or at least that was what she always thought. "Hey I don't know much about cooking but it smells to me that something is burning" a voice called from behind her and she jumped startled. She turned around to see Ressler taking off his jacket and putting it around a chair his light eyes staring at her "What did I scare you?" he asked smiling.

"Startled me that's all" she answered turning back to her pan and continued to stir adding seasonings as she did so. "Ok so whats for dinner then?" Ressler asked moving to stand next to her and she felt a little nervous as he inspected the stove top.

"Pork roast is in the oven. I'm just cooking up some fresh vegetables to go with it before I start on the mashed potatoes. Does that sound ok for you?" she asked hopefully. He nodded but still hovered over her. Now it was getting unnerving and she stopped stirring again "what Ressler" she asked clearly agitated.

He seemed to be deep in thought cause his head turned quickly and he seemed a little embarrassed before moving quickly away "Nothing sorry. I uh, I'm going to go do some work" he said quickly before leaving the kitchen. Liz watched him leave and tried to ignore the strange feeling in her stomach.

As they ate dinner a half hour later it was quiet and awkward. Both didn't look at one another for the first few minutes as they ate. Finally it was Ressler who broke the silence "This is really good Keen. I haven't had a home cooked meal like this since I went home for Christmas last year" he noted.

"Really, it's been that long? I'm sorry" she said not really knowing why she said it. He shrugged and it was silent again. The only thing that seemed to get him to talk was about work so even though she really didn't want to talk about it she brought it up. "Do you think, we should go talk to Red about the cameras?" she asked now looking at him.

Ressler seemed to consider this but then his eyes looked conflicted "I don't know I suppose that could go two different ways. There may be a chance he was the one to have those cameras put there if that's the case if we question him about it maybe we can get something out of him. Or catch him in a lie. Or he didn't put them there but maybe will have an idea of who did" he pointed out.

"Or he could send us off on a wild goose chase that wastes our time" Liz added.

Ressler nodded then looked up suddenly "Do you trust him at all?" he asked seriously.

She took a long moment before answering and sighed "I was beginning to for a while there and then with what happened with Tom now I'm not so sure. But he's there for me he asks me questions about my day he calls out of the blue to ask if I need anything and yea a part of me does trust him or at least I want to trust him" she admitted.

"Do you trust Tom?" Ressler asked quickly his light eyes boring into hers. She shook her head quickly "No I don't think I can ever trust him again. Red though who knows he's so hard to read. So good at lying. There's times when he has helped us when he seems to genuinely care about me. I don't know why. I've asked him so many times why me, what does he want with me but he will never tell me. And that's when I think that maybe he just wants me to believe that I'm important to him so he can use me as a puppet for his own ends" she said and then stopped suddenly. This was the first time she had told anyone about her thoughts about Red and her husband. Namely because she had no one to tell them to, she didn't think anyone cared. And now here she was pouring it all out to Ressler who she was sure didn't care and she felt embarrassed. "Sorry. I don't think you wanted that long of an answer" she told him.

Ressler spoke softly and it surprised Liz "Keen" he called and she looked up at him uncomfortable with the way he was looking at her. "Do you trust me?" he asked quietly. All she could do was stare at him and he stared at her and the longer she didn't say anything the more uncomfortable the room became. "Honestly" she began and his eyes narrowed "I didn't for a long time. Until now anyway" she added and he nodded.

"Why now then?" he asked and she appreciated the fact that he didn't ask her why she didn't trust him before. "You are helping me aren't you? Or are you?" she asked.

Looking into his eyes she tried to see if there was any trace of deception but his light eyes seem to only look at her with kindness and maybe even something else but the look was gone and he nodded "I am helping you Keen, I want to help you and I'm not doing this to screw you over in some way" he said and she nodded "I know and I appreciate it, thanks" she said with a small smile.

He nodded "Just doing my job" he noted taking another bite of food.

Liz laughed suddenly and he looked up at her clearly confused "What did I do now?" he asked. She shook her head "Nothing just when you said that I have another thing to add to my top ten list of things I never knew about Ressler" she said still laughing.

He put down his fork looking annoyed but he still had a smile on his face "Ok tell me".

"Number 4 on the list while he seems like mild mannered fbi agent. Donald Ressler is really Superman. Helping to save weak innocent ladies such as myself. Of course he won't admit to his super fbi skills when asked he admirably replies "just doing my job mam" she finished imitating his voice.

And he surprised her by laughing loudly and she had to stop and look at him shocked. "Oh my god I made you laugh, like a full blown laugh I've never seen you smile like that before" she admitted.

Ressler shrugged looking at ease and comfortable for the first time since she's known him "I told you, you were funny" he noted.

Liz smiled "well you're the only person to say that I am, I'm glad I can make you laugh" she said.

"I must be the lucky one that gets to see your sense of humor" he noted and she nodded

"That's right Ressler it's only for you" she said with a smirk. Liz finished her wine and sat back looking down at her empty plate. "I'm full how about you?" she asked and he nodded finishing his food "Best damn meal I've had in a long time" he said. She was glad he liked her cooking it made her feel good and needed. She stood up and went over to him "All done?" she asked nodding at the plate.

He nodded "Thanks. So how bout desert"? he asked hopefully and she smiled down at him lifting his empty plate from the table. "How does Carmel apple pie sound?" she asked. Ressler smiled looking very happy as he took a long sip of wine "Keen, you can stay here as long as you want" he said and turning to go back to the kitchen she smiled feeling very satisfied with his answer.

As she cleaned their plates off in the sink she felt warm and very pleased with how dinner went. She was so deep in thought about it that she jumped when she felt a hand on her lower back. "It's ok Keen just me, you did the cooking I'll do the cleanup" Ressler said moving next to her and gently taking the plate out of her hand.

"Thank you Ressler" he nodded and she watched him for a while until he noticed and looked at her out of the corner of his eye clearing his throat "But since I am doing the cleaning you could get started on that pie" he said innocently.

"Ha, ha, so that's how this works then well guess what happens tomorrow night buddy?" she asked folding her arms over her chest. "what?" he mused placing a dish in the dishwasher. "Your first cooking lessons" she said seriously.

He stood up raising both brows "Come on Keen really?" he asked.

"Yes Ressler really, I won't always be around to cook for you" she noted seriously. Ressler thought about what she said and was surprised that it made him sad hearing her say she wouldn't always be there as he was beginning to get used to her presence.

"Yea but you'll always be just a phone call away right, you know in case I'm hungry?" he joked and she laughed and shoved him playfully.

"Maybe. I'm going to get washed up then I'll start on the pie, does that work for you superman?" she chided backing out of the kitchen.

Ressler watcher her go and nodded "Sure does, saving pretty young women sure gives me an appetite" he joked and she burst out laughing.

"And you said I'm the funny one?" Liz questioned before leaving Ressler alone in the kitchen. He finished putting the plates and silver wear in the dishwasher and now was filing the sink with warm and soapy water for the pots and pans. Why was he being funny? _I'm never this funny. _But somehow Keen was letting him be himself, he didn't have to be serious he didn't have to be forceful or even an fbi agent around her he could be just himself which was something he hadn't been to anyone in a long, long time. The comfortable feeling he had around her worried him. They were partners, they had a job to do they had Red to look after and while he and Keen worked amazingly well together they still had to keep focused. Even though he was letting her stay in his home and letting her see a side of himself that he usually kept very guarded he couldn't ignore what was going on right now. The people on Red's blacklist, the cameras in her apartment, her husband Tom and the mystery surrounding him. None of that could be forgotten or should be ignored. There was so much work to do he noted as he washed the dishes. "_There's more to life than just work Donny"_ a voice in the back of his head stopped him from his task. It was his sister's voice, she had said it to him months ago during Christmas time. He ignored the advice thinking she was wrong as he was quite different then his sister especially when it came to work ethic. A voice from the hallway stopped him and he backed out of the kitchen with a soapy dish still in his hand and heard it again. Keen was singing in the shower and he had to laugh. A loud bark snapped him from his revere and Romel sat there looking at him as if to say "Hey buddy your getting the floor all wet". Ressler looked down at the puddle and ran back to the sink. "Damnit" he muttered. But he didn't let it bother him as he was beginning to feel that maybe his sister had a point after all and maybe there was more to life than just work.


End file.
